Patients take shelter in the basement of a perinatal centre as air raid siren sounds are heard amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, on March 2.VALENTYN OGIRENKO/Reuters
When Nataliia Haidash’s friend, a nurse, told her she would be returning to help their native Ukraine, Ms. Haidash knew there was little use in arguing. She had pleaded with her friend to support their home country from New Brunswick, where they now live, but her friend had already made up her mind.
“She told us she wanted to be a nurse in a Ukrainian hospital because that’s where she’s needed most now,” an emotional Ms. Haidash said in an interview on Wednesday. “We tried to reason with her, we tried to tell her let’s do something here, let’s not rush. But when she decided, she did everything in her power to get the tickets as fast as possible.”
Ms. Haidash and others began soliciting donations and, within 24 hours, they had amassed nearly 50 pounds of medical supplies including gauze, tourniquets and emergency blankets, filling the nurse’s suitcases. Members of the Ukrainian community donated Ukrainian hryvnia so she would not have to worry about credit cards or currency conversion. One man gave her a bulletproof vest.
On Monday, just 48 hours after announcing her intentions, the nurse boarded a flight bound for Poland. By Wednesday, she had reached southern Ukraine by bus and connected with local volunteers, Ms. Haidash said. The Globe and Mail has agreed not to name the nurse because of concerns for her safety.
The urgency of Ms. Haidash’s friend comes as Ukraine’s health care system faces mounting pressure a week into Russia’s invasion. Humanitarian access is being impeded, medical supplies are running low and Ukraine’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent plea for foreign health care workers to help.
Under martial law, the heads of health care facilities can permit foreign doctors and nurses to assist, provided they have documentation of their professional qualifications.
Russia captures Kherson as troops make strategic gains in southern Ukraine
Some Canadians wanting to get involved are doing so indirectly. After considering going to Ukraine himself, Vish Vadlamani of Delta, B.C., decided that it would be more worthwhile to fund any Canadian with combat or medical experience looking to go, with airline credits from a trip that he had cancelled because of COVID-19. Dozens of people have contacted Mr. Vadlamani, who said Wednesday that his top pick would likely be a medic from Calgary.
“I figured that at least I could do something from my side, even if it’s very little,” he said.
Jeff Blackmer, executive vice-president of global health and chief medical officer at the Canadian Medical Association, said humanitarianism is deeply embedded in the medical profession and that he’s aware of physicians discussing in Facebook groups and other channels how best to assist efforts in Ukraine.
However, he advised these workers to first contact groups such as the Red Cross and Médecins sans frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) to determine what the needs are and how best to help.
“It’s not optimal circumstances to just parachute in folks who are extremely well meaning, but might not have the skills in really difficult, almost impossible, circumstances for untrained people,” he said.
MSF has had teams in Ukraine prior to the current conflict, providing HIV care in Severodonetsk, tuberculosis care in Zhytomyr and improving health care access in Donetsk. These efforts have been suspended as the organization dispatches teams to Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia in response to an influx of Ukrainian refugees. Teams in Belarus and Russia are also prepared to provide humanitarian assistance.
Joe Belliveau, executive director of MSF Canada, said the group has been working through telemedical systems in recent days to train and support surgeons in anticipation of a surge in injured people. Supply chain issues are a major concern, he said.
“We’re already hearing from our teams that there’s a shortage of, for example, insulin for diabetes, anti-retrovirals for HIV/AIDS treatments,” Dr. Belliveau said. The World Health Organization has also warned that the medical oxygen supply in Ukraine is “nearing a very dangerous point,” putting thousands of lives at risk.
Why is Russia invading Ukraine? What Putin’s troops have done so far in Kherson, Kyiv and beyond
The humanitarian organization Médecins du monde (Doctors of the World) has had members responding to the conflict in Ukraine since 2015 and currently has about 100 members on the ground providing health care and psychological supports.
Nadja Pollaert, executive director of the organization’s Canadian chapter, said members were moved to safe locations last week and that the group is now assessing next steps.
“What we know from our past several years of experience is that … the pressure on the health care system will be huge because of the movement of population,” she said. “We are looking also to Romania and Poland because of the influx of refugees, who will be putting a lot of pressure on their national health care systems as well. And we expect, as usual, unfortunately, in conflict zones, a lot of issues related to mental health.”
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